Broken-Hearted Fireworks
by Lirina
Summary: "I take Uraraka!", Bakugou decided before anyone else could speak. Thus, her "date" with Deku turned into a "date" with her short-tempered classmate. Can their new and still fragile bond overcome their differences and shortcomings? As best friends, Uraraka and Bakugou can achieve anything they dream of, but as lovers, they have a lot to learn.
1. Chapter 1

_05/17 B*stoke_

This takes place after manga chapter 128 (or somewhere near there, doesn't matter), but there are only very minor spoilers.

* * *

As it happened frequently at U.A. training had gotten out of hand. A battle between Deku and Bakugou could never end well—and had sent both, as one might expect, directly to Recovery Girl.

"I hope Deku is fine", Uraraka worried as she and Iida entered the nurse's office. As soon as class was over the two had hurried to meet their friend. And it wasn't only them who worried, the others followed behind them, more cautiously as to not to disturb the resting patients.

"Today's battle was something else", Iida responded. "It was like they were going to kill each other for sure this time."

"Not to mention they destroyed the gym in the process", Kirishima interrupted.

Recovery Girl's realm was awfully quiet, only adding to their worries. Slowly, as not to disturb anybody, the group opened the door.

"Deku", Uraraka exclaimed relieved when she saw that the boy was alright and sitting on his bed. This time had been different from all the other times, and the gravity bender had seriously thought today things wouldn't end as well as they usually did. Even Deku, as amazing as he was, was just a human being after all.

The addressed boy smiled awkwardly. "I-I'm fine", he confirmed then. Uraraka being close to him and inspecting his wounds made him nervous. "Recovery Girl said I can go home", he added to make sure everyone stopped worrying. "Ka-chan is still unconscious though."

Everybody's attention fell onto the short-tempered teen in the bed next to Midoriya. Sleeping, he was barely recognisable as the aggressive hero-in-training he was, he could almost pass as an ordinary student.

"Knowing Bakugou he'll be fine", Kirishima replied glancing over to the spiky-haired boy.

"By tomorrow he'll be up and threatening to kill everyone again", Ashido smiled at Deku. "But we were all worried about you—Recovery Girl did a good job at fixing you up."

The black-haired teen wanted to say something but was swiftly interrupted by Iida. "I believe it is best you go back to the dorm and get a good rest. I shall escort you."

As the group was turning to leave, Uraraka looked back at the still unconscious Bakugou. Everybody assumed he was fine because he always was. However, wasn't it a bit harsh to jump to this conclusion? Somebody who was strong always had to be fine?

The only person to understand the gravity bender's feelings was Midoriya. "I was going to wait for Ka-chan to wake up. Recovery Girl went to tend to class B so I offered to watch him instead."

Uraraka was relieved. But on the other hand, she knew Bakugou wouldn't appreciate finding the black-haired boy next to him when he woke up. "Deku, I'm also worried about him!", she agreed. "But if you're here, he might want to fight you again. Right here."

"I agree that leaving Bakugou alone would be irresponsible", Iida joined in. "As the class president, it is my duty to stay—"

"I'm grateful Iida, but I think it should be Kirishima", Midoriya concluded. "They are friends so Bakugou should be fine with it."

Everybody looked at the red-haired boy who was visibly surprised. "Me? This isn't manly at all; I think it requires a girl for this job. Uraraka should do it."

Now it was the brunette's turn to be surprised. Why her out of everyone? She had barely spoken to Bakugou since the tournament.

But she immediately got the answer from Kirishima himself. "He is treating you differently from everyone. I think he might even like you." The calmness with which the red-haired boy dropped the bomb was impressive. "He won't make a fuss if it's you."

Uraraka blushed. There was no way someone like Bakugou would like her! "That can't be true, you must be wrong!" Trying to hide her redness, she covered her cheeks with her hands. Surely, somebody as tough as the ash-blonde teen would not fall for her, a girl with average strength and grades even below that.

"L-like … Ka-chan?", Deku stammered awkwardly, but nobody paid attention to him.

"If that's the case then you should indeed stay here, Uraraka", Iida agreed. "You should turn him down properly too. Leave Deku's escort to me."

Uraraka was surprised that Iida not even considered that she might have feelings for the explosive teen. Her crush on Deku must have been obvious to everyone. However, could she turn down Bakugou when it wasn't even clear whether he had feelings for her? More likely, Kirshima was just imagining things. Come to think of it, Kirishima had never striked her as being very perceptive. She was probably treated differently because she simply was the girl who annoyed him most. In any case, the safest option was to make sure Bakugou was aware that she had feelings for someone else. "Alright", the gravity bender finally concluded after what seemed to be an eternity. "Don't worry about Bakugou, Deku."

Everyone left and Uraraka sat on Deku's bed watching Bakugou. While asleep, the spiky-haired boy almost looked like a different person. His facial expression was relaxed, nothing like his usual out-of-control grin and eyes that shot daggers even at kittens.

The brunette hoped he would sleep forever because she had no idea how to talk about her feelings and also because the sleeping Bakugou was rather fascinating. For a while, Uraraka just watched his chest rhythmically raising and lowering. He was only partly covered by the duvet and she could clearly see all the bruises on his body. That guy was pushing himself too much….

"What are you staring at, bitch?!" His voice abruptly broke the peaceful silence. "Want me to fucking kill you?!"

"Ehm…." Uraraka was completely taken by surprised. She hadn't prepared what to say yet—it had only been two hours since the others had left. Judging from Bakugou's behaviour though, Kirishima must have been wrong. The explosive teen wasn't treating her any different at all! But more than everything, Uraraka felt relieved that Bakugou had woken up. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright", she smiled—immediately realising that she had chosen the wrong words.

The spiky-haired boy grunted. "Why the fuck wouldn't I?!"

Whether it was luck or not, before the situation could escalate anymore, Recovery Girl entered the room and abruptly ended their conversation.

 **xxx**

"In the end, there was no point in worrying about talking about feelings", Uraraka thought the next day. The class was about to start their hero training and the gravity bender found herself looking towards Bakugou. He seemed completely fine, although he had been told to take it easy—not that this was a realistic advice.

"Hey, Uraraka", Deku interrupted her. "We were told to form pairs and start the training. Are you ok? You're so absent minded today."

They had all gathered outside a large forest and it was a nice sunny day. Focusing on the training shifted her attention—this seemed like an enjoyable exercise. Even more so as the gravity bender was about to pair up with Deku. Being alone in the forest with him almost counted as a date! "Date?", she thought blushing. Would they be able to hold hands? After an eternity, Uraraka realised that Deku was still waiting for an answer. "I'm fine", she replied smiling to mask her insecurity.

Bakugou watched the awkward behaviour of Uraraka and her crush from afar. For some reason, it really pissed him off. He remembered how Uraraka had been in the infirmary with him just yesterday. The smile of that bitch was so much more beautiful when it was directed at him, not good-for-nothing Deku.

"Ok, now please form pairs now taking into account your individual quirks", All Might announced. Choosing a partner with a complementary quirk was already the first part of the exercise.

"I take Uraraka!" Bakugou replied loudly before anyone else could even say anything. He didn't give a fuck that everyone was staring at him in disbelief. In his opinion, these fuckers were mere pebbles in his path anyway.

"Good choice, young Bakugou", All Might nodded. "You have grown so much! Whatever plan you have in mind, it is an important lesson to choose a partner based on your quirks."

Uraraka didn't know how to react. Had the short-tempered teen really chosen her because of her quirk? In any case, her "date" with Deku had turned into a "date" with Bakugou!


	2. Chapter 2

"I hope Uraraka will be fine", Deku thought worried as he wandered to the forest. There weren't any clear paths so they had to cut through the woods—a time-consuming and tiresome task. This exercise was clearly not a walk in the park. The class was tasked to cut through this sea of trees towards the other end where they had to find a flag to bring back. "And this is just the easy bit", he mumbled to himself. "Getting to the flag will be at least a day of walking… And we might be ambushed by our teachers… This is to test our stamina…."

"I'm so jealous of Bakugou", Mineta who was next to Deku complained. "He got to pair up with Uraraka—I wanted to go with a girl, too! But nobody wanted to pair up with me…."

"S-sorry for not being a girl." Deku hadn't been aware that Mineta felt this way. "Maybe we can group up with the others?" But then the black-haired teen remembered All Might saying "The important point of this is choosing a partner wisely so you're forbidden from leaving your partner or talking to your other classmates."

"Guess we're on our own this time." He sighed looking at the woods in front of them. Neither Mineta or he had a quirk that was of any use in this situation. That was probably why no one had wanted them as a partner... Flying over the forest would be one solution, but of course, All Might had foreseen that some students would try this and made a rule against the easy way out.

"And Bakugou gets to spend the night with Uraraka", Mineta continued where he had left off. "That guy can fondle her breast as much as he wants while she is asleep!"

That was right, they had to spend the night in the forest as well, Deku remembered. "Ka-chan wouldn't do that!" After all, his explosive childhood friend had never shown any interest in girls. Not even remotely. But still, the thought of Urakaka being with Bakugou left him feeling worried and, for some reason, irritated. Why had that guy even chosen his friend? He knew the short-tempered teen wouldn't do something like that just to annoy him, but on the other hand, for this task her quirk was as useless as One For All.

 **xxx**

So many thoughts were going through Uraraka's head, it was making her feel dizzy. She didn't like how Bakugou had objectified her earlier. "I take her!", like the gravity bender was a rare toy being fought over. Her quirk had no use her, she knew. Teaming up with Todoroki would have probably been the best option as the wielder of fire and ice could simply freeze all the annoying scrubs blocking their way. Fire was difficult to use here—after all, they wouldn't want to burn down the forest. For the same reason, Bakugou himself could also only make limited use of his quirk. "Why did you choose me of all people?", she asked after mulling over the question for most of the day.

Bakugou was walking in front of her and clearing a path using multiple small-scale explosions. A never-ending effort visibly annoying him. "How the fuck should I know?! Don't ask fucking stupid questions or you want to be murdered?" He didn't know the reason himself and it fucking pissed him off more than the shitty shrubs in front of him every could.

"So there was no reason?", Uraraka asked but received no answer. Her partner was in a bad mood, that much was obvious, but still she wanted to know the answer. If he had chosen the brunette because of her quirk he could have asked her to make him float, but Bakugou showed no intention of doing so. Then she remembered Krishima's words "Uraraka should do it" and "He might like you." The gravity girl blushed. No way that was true!

Whatever the reason was, Bakugou continued his rather violent march through the forest. She had no idea whether he was just blindly raging forward or actually keeping track of the direction. He didn't even pay attention to his surroundings although the teachers might ambush them at any time.

"Ehm Bakugou", Urakaka addressed the teen in front of her. "Maybe we should be more careful, you know, one of the teachers might come at us any second." She could predict her advice would anger him, but the brunette still wanted to pass the exercise.

"Is your brain filled with shit, bitch?" Bakugou's reply was as expected; however, Urakaka was surprised that he continued with an explanation. "They're not fucking idiots giving out free ice cream. They'll do cowardly sneak attacks when we're sleeping and shit is going to happen tomorrow. There's no fucking point in trying to steal our goddamn flag before we even got it."

What he had said made sense. Urakaka was annoyed at herself for not seeing through this exercise by herself. Hopefully, Deku would have realised this. The brunette looked at the sky and wondered whether Deku was looking at the same clouds at her. All of them had started at different points and the forest was vast so chances to encounter him were slim. "It's getting dark", she noted while looking upwards. What would they do at night? As the shades became longer the forest was getting more and more intimidating. The temperature had fallen considerably as well.

"You brain dead or what?" Bakugou interrupted her thoughts. "Make your fucking self float and see whether we're near the end of this hell." This endless forest pissed him off far more than the spaced-out gravity girl.

Feeling a bit nauseous Uraraka did as she was told and reported what she had seen. "We're near the mountain range. Do you think we should call it a day?"

The addressed boy was already ahead of her. "This will do", the brunette heard him saying. Curiously, she followed his gaze. "A cave? … Are we going to sleep in there?" It looked like a dark and scary mouth ready to swallow them. The entrance was small, just barely fitting her, but still menacing.

"I don't want to be fucking killed in my sleep", Bakugou explained annoyed. "Now make some stones float to block the entrance behind us."

Urakaka didn't think she would be able to sleep in a terrifying cave like that. She looked at her partner who had already gone inside. However, now alone, the forest seemed equally scary to her—the twilight increasingly limiting her sight and cries of wild animals, and occasionally screams of their classmates, adding to her discomfort. The gravity girl sighed and then followed Bakugou while blocking the entrance behind her. She left a small opening at the top prevent them from suffocating—and to provide an exit for the smoke should the spiky-haired boy use his quirk.

Inside, the cave was more spacious than the outside had made it seem and extended far into the mountain. However, as this exercise was not about playing cave explorers, the two stayed near the entrance of the pitch-black hole. With the entrance being blocked, no light fell into the cave leaving them in complete darkness. At least like this, no teacher would be able to steal the flag they had picked up earlier. Additionally, the two were protected from the environment and the rain that had just started to fall. Maybe Bakugou was right and this was their best option….

Speaking of that boy…. "Bakugou, where are you?", she asked completely unable to see him. The darkness separated her from anything, it was suffocating and depriving.

"Shut the fuck up, will ya?" The answer came from not too far away. "I'm trying to sleep here, bitch."

Uraraka sighed again and tried to make herself comfortable on the other side of the cave. The ground was hard and she hadn't had any dinner or lunch. They had found water earlier but there hadn't been time to look for anything edible. Adding to her discomfort was the cold that overcame her as soon as the gravity girl had settled down. And it didn't end there: There were no sounds and thoughts of what might be further inside the cave made her nervous. What if there were bears? Or a secret villain hideout? Had this really been a good idea? The suffocating darkness made her feel anxious and lonely. "Can I sleep closer to you, Bakgou?", Uraraka asked hesitantly.

"I'm not your babysitter", the addressed teen growled. "Why would I give a damn shit about where you sleep?" All he wanted was a good night's rest so he could kill whoever got in their way tomorrow.

The girl moved closer—a difficult task given she couldn't see anything. "Where are you?", she asked again extending her arms to locate him. Suddenly she felt her hands touching something. It was warm and soft.

"What the fuck are you doing?", Bakugou shouted and his echo was audible for a long time after that.

"Ah, eh, I'm sorry!" Urakaka quickly moved back. The brunette couldn't believe that she had accidentally touched her partner's face! "I'll be more careful", she promised laying down next to the explosive teen. She still couldn't see him, but felt his warm and conforming body heat. His lips had been softer than expected—not at all like they belonged to a nasty boy with attitude problems.

Next to him, Uraraka relaxed. She knew Bakugou had good reflexes allowing him to react quickly to any danger. Of course, the gravity bender had considered suggesting that one of them could stay awake to keep watch, but it was also clear to her that they both were exhausted from the long walk. "Bakugou has been using his quirk all day to clear our path, no way his hands aren't hurting", she thought. However, touching them was the only way to find out. Carefully moving she reached for his calloused hands. They felt warm and muscular; Uraraka instantly felt safer as she was reassured of his presence. Deprived of her sight, touch balanced out the missing sense.

"Looks like you're begging me to kill you", Bakugou commented her actions. However, there was less aggression in his voice than usual and to her surprise, he didn't remove his hand.

Maybe he also felt comforted by the touch, maybe he was too exhausted or simply did not care enough, Uraraka thought. "I hope the others are alright…." The rain had only gotten harder and she faintly heard a thunderstorm coming. "It must be scary for them", the brunette thought. If Bakugou wasn't with her, she would be a lot more scared too. The idea of sleeping in a cave had never occurred to her; Uraraka would have built a simple tent out of wood using her quirk—and would by now be drenched in the rain. From now on she would have to work a lot harder!

Unlike Uraraka, Bakugou had a hard time falling asleep. Not that he was frightened by thunder or the darkness, but the sleeping girl next to him irritated him to a degree that he could barely bear it. The brunette was still holding onto his hand and had, in her sleep, moved even closer to him. His hand felt like it was burning, not to mention his arm, which was so close to her breasts that he could feel her breathing.

It wasn't a completely negative feeling though, otherwise, the spiky-haired teen would have yelled at Uraraka instantly. This was a completely new situation for Bakugou and he had no idea how to react. Normally, he would just wake her up, without a doubt and in a rather rough way, but the explosive teen understood how exhausted she was—after all the girl had kept up with him all day. However, the main reason was much harder to admit: it felt nice being so close to her.

* * *

Also, what do you guys prefer, Uraraka ending up with Deku or Bakugou?


	3. Chapter 3

silverwolf-fox - I love how you call Bakugou a "firecracker", so funny!

shadowwriter19 - Thank you for your suggestions, I'm still thinking about the title!

* * *

Reunited with the others, the exercise was finally concluded. Uraraka and Bakugou had no further problems, apart from arriving after Midoriya's team, causing much frustration for the latter. "Deku that shithead. What the fuck did that asshole pull off this time?"

Much to everyone's surprise, however, there were no rampaging explosions and only Uraraka knew why. He had continuously used his quirk for two days—his hands were probably in a bad state. The brunette wondered whether holding his hands during the night had alleviated some of his pain. Realising that she had actually held a boy's hand made her blush—although it was a bit late for that now. Looking at her partner, she felt guilty for not having contributed anything except for protecting the flag when they had been ambushed, not that that was anything to be proud of.

"Uraraka!", Midoriya called out as soon as he spotted her. All the time the black-haired boy had been worried about her getting along with Bakugou. "I-I'm so happy that you are fine, I hope Bakugou hasn't… hasn't..." Mineta's words in his head, he was too shy to continue.

"Deku!" The brunette was happy to see her crush without broken limbs. "How did it go for you?"

"There was this terrible thunderstorm last night", Midoriya narrated the happenings from the day before. "We tried to build a shelter for the night with some woods stuck together with Mineta's quirk. However, it blew away and we thought we were done for. It was so cold and wet…."

"That sounds awful, Deku!" Uraraka noted the deep shadows underneath the boy's eyes. It didn't look like he had slept at all. "But you placed first! How did you manage that?"

"Ehm… Well, our flag got stolen, but we somehow managed to get it back after we survived the night. In our fight against Aizawa, Mineta accidentally discovered a shortcut when he was trying to run away and we made it back. It was just luck." His gaze fell on Bakugou who was still fuming not far away from them.

"You look pale, Deku", Iida joined the group. "It may be best for you to see Recovery Girl." However, looking around everybody exhibited the same dark shadows under their eyes and was exhausted from the long walk exacerbated by the lack of food. Except for two people. "You and Bakugou look pretty good. Was your area not affected by the thunderstorm? Did you have food with you?"

Now that Iida mentioned it, there was a notable difference between her and the others. Everyone's clothes were drenched and the only other people in a decent state were Todoroki and Yaoyorozu who had paired up. "I knew Bakugou was a good guy at heart able to take care of a girl", Iida commented.

"He didn't take care of me." Uraraka didn't want to make it sound like she had been depended on him. Although she had been… and the guilt the gravity bender felt didn't make it any better. "He surprised me", she admitted. "We slept in a cave and in the morning, when I woke up, he was already roasting rabbits for breakfast. At first, I felt bad for the animals but after he explained that it was kinda the same as buying meat in the supermarket, he gave some to me."

"Ka-chan is amazing at everything he tries", Midoriya confirmed. "Even if it is outdoor camping. It was just by luck that Mineta and I took first place."

"But you managed to get your flag back", Uraraka tried to cheer him up. "Apart from us two the only other ones to keep their flag were Todoroki and Yaoyorozu." It was amazing that Deku, despite being helpless in the thunderstorm, had managed to overtake her and Bakugou.

"The thunderstorm made this exercise really difficult", Iida added. "However, thunder should not scare a hero, we all have much to learn."

Uraraka couldn't tell them that she had pretty much slept through the storm that had terrified everyone. And much less that it was all thanks to Bakugou.

 **xxx**

In Bakugou Katsuki's life, with the exception of All Might, two different kind of people existed. Idiots he would kill in battle and fucking extras he just wanted to murder. Both kinds had in common that they usually pissed him off, so they were more or less the same. Gender was not something he bothered with. Until last night that was. "That witch must have put me under some kind of spell", he thought annoyed. Lying in bed late at night, sleep still escaped him. Although Bakugou had barely touched them, he still remembered the soft feel of Uraraka's breast—and her smile. It pissed him off beyond all sanity that he was still thinking of her. Why had he even allowed her to hold his hands?

"It must be her quirk that's doing that to me", he concluded. These days there were people who could take or grant quirks, so it wouldn't surprise him if Uraraka had another quirk under her sleeves. The brunette didn't strike him as the type to have a hidden agenda, but it was the only explanation for his messed-up state.

First, Bakugou needed more information. Did this quirk activate upon touch like her gravity manipulation? No, the first time she had touched him had been yesterday, but this had started way earlier. Now that the short-tempered boy thought of it, Uraraka had been in a corner of his mind since their tournament fight. While Bakugou had thought that he only acknowledged the girl for her iron will to win, something else had happened. So how had the girl managed to activate her quirk? And was he the only one affected by it?

"That moron Deku might also be under her spell", Bakugou reflected. "No, he's acting like a retard with the other idiots, too." Could the black-haired boy be immune to the gravity bender's spell? After all, Uraraka was all over him. It pissed him off that Deku had managed to evade this cowardly attack while he himself had fallen right into her cheap trap.

There was only one thing Bakugou knew for sure: This messed-up state of his got worse when Uraraka was close to him and, therefore, it would likely resolve if he kept his distance. "I'll fucking murder her once I'm free!"

 **xxx**

Over the next course of days, Bakugou managed to avoid the witch. However, he carefully observed Uraraka to find any clues and to re-assess his state of mind—at least he wanted to believe that this was the reason. Normally, the ash-blonde teen would not hesitate to confront her and beat the brunette until she was a pile of shit, but for some reason the thought of hurting her felt… wrong. "Must be part of her goddamn quirk", Bakugou thought filled with anger that he couldn't vent. Even his classmate had noted that he was more aggressive than usual. He grunted as he saw her entering the classroom and being all smiley at Deku that idiot as usual.

"Good morning, Deku, Iida", Uraraka waved at her friends. "Have your colds gotten better?"

After that forest incidence, half of the class was down with a cold and the black-haired boy was no exception. "Uraraka… Yes, I feel better." He smiled.

"It was nothing that a good lemon tea and some cold medication could not fix", the class president replied. "I hope you managed to prepare for class as well as getting a good rest, Uraraka."

Uraraka felt guilty again. She was supposed to be like them, recovering from a cold. Yet Bakugou had protected her from it—probably not intentionally, but he had… Now was not the time for this, she had to cheer up! "Have you guys heard about this new film? The one that was filmed at U.A. last year? It's now in the cinemas! Why don't we all go?", the girl blurted to gloss over her guilt.

"Oh, the one that features a hero using explosions?", Iida remembered. "It reminds of Bakugou."

Hearing the boy's name, Uraraka blushed. "I know, we should invite him too", she added quickly. The girl was aware that the explosive teen had not talked to her since the forest exercise and seemed to avoid her. Going to the cinema together, surely they would find the time to talk.

Changes of Bakugou going with them were low and chances of him getting violent were high, but apart from liberating herself from her guilt, there was one other motive behind inviting him. If there was one thing Uraraka could not stand about the short-tempered teen, it was his behaviour towards Deku. No matter how much Bakugou had helped her, his demeaning actions towards the gravity girl's crush could not be tolerated. Having always known that he was not a bad guy, the forest training had confirmed that Bakugou was definitely capable of acting more nicely. Thus, those two boys doing something non-competitive together would surely improve their relationship. "Bakugou, do you want to go to the cinema with us after school?", she asked hoping to convince him.

"Shut up, bitch." Paying no heed to Uraraka's invitation, Bakugou swiftly made his way to the teacher's office to catch All Might on his way out. The corridor was silent as he stood in front of him. "Do you know of a quirk that fucks with people's mind and messes up their brain so one becomes all obsessed with the user? It creeps the hell outta me! Craving to see someone's smile and think of them like they're fucking god", he came straight to the point. Bakugou figured that if Deku had obtained his quirk from All Might then maybe that guy was giving out free quirks to every loser around, including Uraraka.

"That, young Bakugou, is not a quirk", All Might laughed. "That is love."

"I don't give a shit about how you fucking call it." There was no aggression in his voice, just desperation. "Tell me how I can make it stop…."

All Might looked up. The expression in Bakugou's eyes showed that he was as close to begging as it was possible for the proud student. "Poor boy tormented by his feelings", he thought. However, the former number-one hero had to act like a teacher here. "Love is something every hero needs", he explained carefully. "It's not something you need to fight like a villain."

Bakugou stood in the corridor long after All Might had left, clenching his fist so hard his nails dug into the flesh of his palms. He was Bakugou Katsuki not some moron who could fall in love for goddamn sake! All Might must have been wrong; he was a person that the ash-blonde teen greatly admired, yet there was no way his words could be true.

 **xxx**

Uraraka and Midoriya awkwardly stood in front of the cinema. The girl nervously looked at the boy next to her. She had steeled herself and would not reveal any affection towards him. "I cannot afford to risk our careers as heroes for this", she reaffirmed her resolve. However, it didn't stop her from feeling uneasy.

"I-is this a d-d-", the said boy stammered stiffly. He didn't dare to finish this question. "There is no way Uraraka is interested in me", Midoriya thought. She was cheerful, outspoken and popular. He was timid, awkward and weak. However, the brunette looked gorgeous in that dress leaving him unable to pretend his feelings were merely friendly.

"Ah look at the time, Deku!", Uraraka interrupted him quickly. It was so hard to stay strong! Iida had phoned after school and excused himself as he had "a private matter to attend". Somehow Ashido had overheard the phone call and enthusiastically declared their cinema visit a date. Uraraka thinking of going in shorts and T-shirt had been swiftly dressed up by her pink classmate.

The gravity bender looked at the dress her friend had made her wear. At least it was plain red and not purple-green checked or orange-pink striped. It wasn't too revealing either, but the tight garb underlined her figure more than Uraraka preferred.

"Ah, you're right…." Midoriya tried to open the door for her as the two entered the cinema complex. He struggled as the door turned out to be broken resulting in him laughing awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Uraraka."

Uraraka chuckled. Not because of Deku, but because she was imagining Bakugou who wouldn't have bothered with the out-of-use sign and forcefully opened the door anyway.

"Hey, there is Bakugou", Midoriya exclaimed suddenly, abruptly ending Uraraka's fairy-tale world.

She blushed hard. "Deku, can you see into my head?!" The gravity girl remembered how her invitation had been rejected harshly.

"What are you saying, Uraraka?", Midoriya asked confused. "He's right there at the ticket counter."

The brunette's face got hotter. How embarrassing! "Ka-chan!", she heard the black-haired teen shout out. "What a coincidence, I didn't think you'd come."

"The fucking film is sold out, ain't having time for such a shitfest anyway", the addressed boy grunted as he passed them on the way to the exit. "I just said I wouldn't go with your group of fucktards", he then explained reluctantly. Truth to be told, Bakugou hadn't planned to come. His resolve to stay away from that witch had been strong like a castle—until she smiled at him asking whether he would come. A mere smile was enough to break his iron resolution—his castle made of ice was melted away by a smile bright as the sun itself. "Is this a fucking costume party or what?", he asked looking at Uraraka's unusual outfit. The boy hated how it made him look at her even more.

"I bought our tickets online and I've got a spare one, if you want- if you want you can come with us", Midoriya offered. The black-haired teen was glad he had ordered three, one had been intended for Iida, so Ka-chan wouldn't have to go home without seeing the film. After all, the film might give his childhood friend ideas for new moves.

"Fuck off!" Bakugou had no intention of accepting anything from that bastard. He'd rather just brutally kill him. "I don't need your fucking pity, keep that trash and rot away in hell."

"What are you talking about?", Uraraka replied in Midoriya's stead. This was the one problem the brunette had with Bakugou. Couldn't he see that it would make Deku happy if he accepted? With one quick movement, she took the ticket from Deku's hand and pushed it into those of Bakugou. "There", the gravity girl said satisfied. If this guy didn't want to understand, she would make him.

"Now you've done it." His voice was calm yet quietly overflowing with anger. "I don't want this fucking piece of trash, you bastard. I'm gonna kill you right now, Uraraka!" Fuck this stupid curse, nobody could demean him like this and survive! He would break all her bones so she couldn't smile any longer!

Uraraka took a stance ready to fight back. "Bring it on!" She wasn't scared of him. "I wasn't of much use back in the forest but I will show you how much I've improved since the tournament!"

With a half-crazed grin, Bakugou raised his fists. "Let's continue where we left off then!" Uraraka was someone he had enjoyed fighting and the thought of a rematch let his blood boil. For a moment, he even forgot about the curse.

"What? Right here? In the cinema?", Midoriya reminded the two that this was not the place for a fight. "What about the people? Ah, the film is starting…."

Abruptly brought back into reality, both stopped. "Why did I get so worked up?", Uraraka thought ashamed. "I nearly risked everything by starting a meaningless fight." The girl's heart had been steeled against her feelings for Deku, but not against Bakugou.

The short-tempered teen grunted but kept the ticket in his hands. "I didn't think of you as useless even once during that shit exercise." Without saying anything else, he disappeared into the dark cinema. He didn't feel like fighting anymore.

* * *

I wanted to explain Bakugou's last sentence, but had a feeling he wouldn't say more than that. Hopefully, I'll get a chance in later!

I love how Deku offers Bakugou a ticket, he's nice even though he knows that Bakugou won't appreciate it. And Uraraka, she's so cute when she asks Deku whether he can see into her head!


	4. Chapter 4

In between the two guys, Uraraka couldn't help but feel awkward. She stealthily looked at Bakugou who said she hadn't been a burden to him—thankfully, he seemed to have calmed down although his eyes still shot daggers at anyone who dared to look at him. Being close to him in the dark, the gravity girl couldn't help but think of how they had slept next to each other in the cave. At night, when she couldn't sleep Uraraka still envisioned Bakugou at her side, the silhouette of his muscular body, the warmth and the same facial expression he had worn on the day she had looked after him in the infirmary. Now, close to him again, Uraraka felt nervous and this, much to her surprise, wasn't because of Deku on her other side.

Bakugou didn't know why he had gone along with this. The ash-blonde teen had wanted to go home, yet he was here now. His gaze fell upon Deku who seemed to try and hold hands with Uraraka, but swiftly retreated under Bakugou's menacing pressure. "This is how a fucking low-struck idiot acts", he thought annoyed. The short-tempered teen was nothing like that. Yet he was determined not to let that bastard have his gravity bender.

As the film was nearing the end, a sudden noise was audible from outside. Increasing in intensity, it was resembling the films' sound effects—explosions, following what seemed to be an earthquake. A second later, the screen turned black and panic broke out due to the loud screams from outside. "It's the villains!", someone shouted.

The group was immediately alarmed. "This is bad!" Midoriya knew they had to act quickly. "We need to go and help."

Uraraka nodded, already on her feet.

"Bakugou, you don't have a provisional hero license yet; please help evacuate the civilians", Midoriya addressed his former childhood friend. "I-I know it might not be—"

"We don't have time, Deku!", Uraraka interrupted him and pulled the black-haired boy with her. Every wasted second meant more damage, more injured people.

An instant later both were gone and Bakugou was left on his own. "Fucking hero license", he thought punching the chair he had sat on. It was pathetic how he'd been left behind. Evacuating people… Without having to look around, the ash-blonde teen knew everyone had a healthy set of legs and would, therefore, be able to fucking evacuate themselves. However, these very people were trying to leave the room all at the same time in their panic.

"Fuck", Bakugou growled before he raised his words. "You damn idiots stop running around like chicken and use the emergency exit." Did they have shit in their brains or why hadn't it occurred to them? "Fuck this." He broke the emergency exit open and made sure everyone escaped before heading off into the main building. Somehow the explosive teen knew that there would be more idiots unable to use their brains.

 **xxx**

Uraraka had done her best. She had managed to fend off one of the villains until the pro heroes had arrived. However, this had cost all her energy and barely able to stand, the brunette knew she had reached her limit. "Hopefully Deku is alright", the gravity girl thought, "And Bakugou." In her mind, she heard the short-tempered teen shouting at her.

"Fucking bitch, do you want to die?"

That's exactly what that guy would say. But it almost sounded too much like him.

"You think this is a safe place to space out?" Everyone and goddamn everyone was behaving like an idiot today. Why did Uraraka think right next to a collapsing building was the perfect place to rest? "This building made of shit is gonna collapse, you don't realise that?"

Slowly Uraraka grasped that Bakugou was, in fact, in front of her. And with a facial expression showing nothing but worry—something she had never seen before. "Are you alright?", she asked. "What about the people? Where's Deku?"

"You get away from this first", the addressed boy demanded. "I'm not gonna fucking carry you."

Uraraka was happy that he spared her of this disgrace. Slowly, the girl managed to get onto her feet. Feeling dizzy, she allowed Bakugou to guide her to a safer place.

"Those brainless shitheads in the cinema are unscathed", he then explained. No need to give her any more details. "And Deku? No idea where that bastard is."

"We need to help him! He might be in danger!" Uraraka couldn't understand how Bakugou could be so calm about this. Around them, buildings were falling apart and smoke made it impossible to see what was going on.

"I don't give a fuck", Bakugou replied annoyed that she only thought of Deku.

Tears were flowing in Uraraka's eyes. Their friend was in danger—why didn't he understand? "Why can't you help him? Why do you hate him so much that you don't even care about his life?"

"Because of you." Now he had said it. Despite the dust in the air, Bakugou stared into the girl's eyes. "You're all over him, do you think I'm blind?" Your goddamn curse fucks with my mind and makes me go crazy over you. I fucking hate when you smile at Deku and I fucking hate when you smile at anyone but me!"

Uraraka didn't understand the other's words nor the desperation in his eyes. She only knew that he was standing dangerously close to her. Was this a love confession Bakugou-style? The situation seemed unreal, but Uraraka knew she had to focus on her priorities right now. She was exhausted and Bakugou was the only one here with her. "Now is not the time for this! We need to find Deku!"

"Idiot", he commented her tries to convince him. "The pros have the situation under control—I don't hear them fighting anymore. No way they haven't rescued that bastard by now." Bakugou hated how Deku was all that mattered to her.

Uraraka was glad that the short-tempered teen had refused her for a reason and not because of his hate for their black-haired classmate. "Did you just... confess to me?", she asked his words still in her mind. Part of her wanted to find Deku as soon of possible, but there was another part that had liked what he had said. However, Uraraka also refused to be a trophy passed around between Deku and Bakugou. "I'm not an object you can possess", the brunette added.

"I fucking know." It was the first time Uraraka saw Bakugou acting not Bakugou-like. Out of character. He was different, showing an insecurity she had never thought he could display. "I don't know how this fucking works, ok?"

"How what works?", the gravity girl asked—Bakugou didn't make any sense to her. Maybe he was trying to confess to her, maybe he was playing trophy hunting, all that Uraraka knew was that it made her heart flutter.

"Damn, I don't give a fuck", he replied turning to leave.

Uraraka was surprised about Bakugou leaving her, merging with the smoke until he was invisible. There were still things she wanted to tell him. "I'm not the reason", she shouted after him. "Don't blame me for what happened between you and Deku."

 **xxx**

The next day Bakugou was surprised to find a copy of himself on the TV screen. "Fuck off", he heard his image shout at the news reporter, followed by praises of how well he had handled the situation and that it was only due to his swift evacuation that nobody had been injured. He turned the TV off throwing the remote against the wall. "Fuck off, idiots", he echoed his own words. He was alone in his room, his voice was directed at the memories of yesterday.

Suddenly a loud knocking on his door disturbed him. "Fuck off", Bakugou said a third time, now calmer.

"Yo!" Kirishima entered the room regardless of the short-tempered teen's curses. "We're going to have a party downstairs for you guys, care to grace us with your face?"

"The hell I will, shithead", Bakugou growled. Shortly after Kirishima left the room, music started to play and considerable noise came from the common room.

Today had been a shit day and it didn't get any better. Talking to Uraraka had revealed that it wasn't her quirk making him go crazy—clearly, if she had done anything, she'd have made him protect her, otherwise, there wasn't any point. Going through all the possibilities there was only one that made sense: All Might had been right. Uraraka had been right too, she wasn't the cause of his and Deku's conflict—but by now a significant part of it.

Love. That was the only possibility.

* * *

Took me forever to figure out how Bakugou would react after being left behind in the cinema!


	5. Chapter 5

If this chapter had a title, it would be "fake"—I wonder if anybody can guess why!

* * *

Uraraka didn't feel like partying. It was only because Ashido had urged her to go and as the brunette was feeling guilty about the ruined dress she had agreed. After all, this party was for them to forget about yesterday's events. Yet despite hearing music and laughter from the common room, Uraraka's mood was rather depressed. That fragile tiny unnamed thing that had begun to develop between her and Bakugou had died. The gravity girl had killed it with her reaction to his out-of-place confession. The short-tempered teen had even admitted that he didn't know what to do—something Bakugou would never say again. Yesterday's moment had been unique and everything that had been said in that space hidden by a smokescreen was now gone. And it made the brunette feel worse than she had expected.

"Ah, Uraraka", Midoriya called out her name as she was about to enter the common room. "Are you going to the party, too?"

The brunette smiled. "Deku! I'm so glad that you've recovered!" Nobody needed to know how she was feeling. And she really was happy that Deku was fine just like Bakugou had promised.

"Uraraka, before we go to the party… I- I want to talk to you about something!" Midoriya was visibly nervous. He had thought about this a lot and still not found a good way to approach the subject. "It's about Ka-chan and you", he continued reluctantly after the two had gone outside.

"Bakugou?" The gravity girl did not know what to expect. Deku couldn't possibly know what had happened between her and the ash-blonde teen, apart from their argument in the cinema he had seen nothing. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Ah, no- that's not it!" Midoriya paused only to then continue in a rush. "Uraraka, you… you like Ka-chan, d- don't you?"

"What?!" The gravity bender blushed. On what ground was Deku's assumption based? Bakugou and her were more like... friends? Classmates, acquaintances, strangers? All of Uraraka's feelings were directed towards Deku, the boy right in front of her, so there couldn't be any space in her heart for another guy. And definitely not for Bakugou who mistreated Deku at every opportunity. "No way I do!" In her mind, she was running through all the reasons why it couldn't be true. "Didn't you see us arguing in the cinema the other day?"

"Ever since the training in the forest, your attitude towards him has changed", Midoriya explained. "You look at him differently, you think about him and you get upset when he says something you don't like."

Uraraka couldn't say anything. She was just amazed at Deku's analysis—that guy seemed to understand her better than she did herself. It was true that Bakugou had been the subject of her thoughts more and more, especially at night, and maybe she was... looking at him more often than she should.

"I can tell", Midoriya continued convinced that he was right. "Because I like you." He had longed to say these words for a while but never imagined it would be in this context. His heart was hurting yet he also felt happy to help a friend.

Uraraka just looked at him. "Deku…."

"It's alright", the black-haired boy smiled. "Ka-chan…, I think, likes you, too. Kirishima also said so, remember?"

"But he treats you terribly", Uraraka argued. She couldn't possibly like a guy who insulted someone important to her at every opportunity.

Midoriya smiled. "Ever since we fought our relationship has gotten better. With Ka-chan, it will take some time, but someday we will understand each other…."

"But I argued with him, I shouted at him…." Maybe Deku didn't know as much as he thought. Thinking back to yesterday, Uraraka knew she had rejected Bakugou in the worst possible way.

However, the boy in front of her was still smiling. "That much wouldn't change Ka-chan's mind. He's stubborn."

"I know." Uraraka chuckled. "Deku, is this really ok?", she then continued, worried about her friend. A few weeks ago, the brunette would have reacted differently if he had confessed to her. She would have been happy and maybe even told him about her own feelings, but now there was Bakugou. Uraraka had never thought she would fall for him, yet it was true that the short-tempered teen had slowly invaded her well-guarded heart.

Long after Deku had left, she stood outside pondering about her feelings. Paying no attention to the music or the chilly wind, Uraraka sighed. She couldn't afford to be in love with anyone, even if Bakugou had already confessed to her, even if she did like him, even if Deku was alright with it—Uraraka had to turn the ash-blonde teen down. It must have been tough for Deku to talk to her and she felt sorry that his words were in vain.

Eventually, it started to rain and the wind picked up, so the brunette went back straight to her room. She wouldn't be able to face Deku at the party and pretend she was happy when she didn't even know whether they would be able to stay friends. Being alone in her room with the party music coming from downstairs, Uraraka felt lonely for the first time since she had moved into the dorms.

 **xxx**

The next morning, Bakugou walked to school staring at his phone not knowing how to interpret the text message he had received the evening prior. Trying to find a hint, he read it again and again.

"Bakugou, let's be friends!" It was the first time Uraraka had sent him a message. Naturally, the ash-blonde teen had her number too, but to actually use it was a different story. Trying to decipher the meaning, "fuck off" didn't seem to be an appropriate reply and he couldn't think of anything else.

During the incident at the cinema Bakugou had revealed too much of his feelings, he was aware of that. This must be Urarakra's response—turning him down because she was head-over-heels in love with Deku. Bakugou had known that before and hadn't asked to be turned down via text message. It was not fair. There hadn't been any battle between Deku and him; he had never had a chance. It was a crushing feeling of defeat, bitter frustration he had never felt before. Losing was against his nature and not something Bakugou could accept. Even if the situation was hopeless and everybody overcome by despair, the short-tempered teen would fight and win, whatever the circumstances. Every enemy had a weakness he could exploit, even the most perfect armor would give in at some point.

Desperately trying to find a way out of this, Bakugou was taken by surprise when Uraraka appeared at his side. "Yo, Bakugou!", the girl smiled happily.

Kirishima was not the most perceptive student at U.A., yet he couldn't help but notice that something very strange had happened. Suddenly, their small "group", mainly consisting of Bakugou and him, had gotten a new member and much to everyone's surprise it was none other than Uraraka Ochako. Everyone in Class A had been shocked to see the unlikely pair walk to school together and now they were sitting together in the canteen absorbed into a conversation about the film they had seen. It made Kirishima, who was with them, feel like the third wheel. Their new relationship didn't seem to have a romantic nature, it was more like Uraraka had become Bakgou's new best pal. Kirishima felt everybody stealthily gazing at their group, eating lunch had become secondary.

"You're right, that's absolutely it", the gravity girl agreed to something that Bakugou had said. "What was his name again?" She tried to remember the protagonist's name. "Ah, it was Explodo-Titan."

"The fucker had a decent naming sense", Bakugou grunted. He had always known that Midnight had been too strict with him when the short-tempered boy had chosen his hero name. "But his fucking explosions were lame; the bastard should have thought more about power output and less about his bloody appearance."

Uraraka thought about Bakugou's comment. "Hm, power is important, but a hero also has to encourage people with a positive aura", she objected.

"Bitch, you got it all wrong, nothing can be done without fucking power."

Kirishima looked up. All morning the two had been in perfect accordance about everything so he was curious to see what would happen next. Clearly, their makeshift friendship would not be able to survive an argument, especially not if Bakugou was involved.

"Power", Bakugou repeated his opinion.

But Uraraka didn't give in. "Aura", she said with a determination not fitting their silly debate.

The eyes of the short-tempered teen sparkled. "Wanna fight?"

Suddenly everyone became tense. A fight in the canteen would surely end in a disaster. "Ehm Bakugou...", Kirishima tried to interrupt with little success.

"Bring it on", Uraraka shouted, all eyes on her. The tension in the atmosphere increased in intensity, the students were looking at each other hoping that one of them would be brave enough to interfere. Where was Iida when they needed him?

However, seconds later everyone was left speechless when Bakugou and Uraraka started to thumb wrestle.

Kirishima couldn't comprehend the situation. Was this Bakugou solving an argument in a violence-free manner? Was this Uraraka not the least bit intimidating and taking the short-tempered teen head on? What on earth had happened?

And none of them could predict that things got even weirder after lunch break was over.

"Today will be a special exercise, please form pairs, everyone", All Might instructed his students. "You will go one after another and the exact nature of the exercise will not be revealed until it is your turn. However, please be aware that everything will be timed."

By now, nobody was surprised that Uraraka immediately paired up with Bakugou. The brunette stealthily looked at Deku, but didn't dare to say a word. The two hadn't spoken since his confession and thus she wasn't even able to wish the black-haired boy good luck. She sighed as Deku and his partner left the room as the first pair.

Only a little later, she heard the announcement of Deku's time "24:34 minutes" and then the next pair exited the waiting room. "Deku must have made it", she thought. Bakugou and she went in last and by then nobody had managed to surpassed Deku's time. "He really is amazing", Uraraka thought again. "Hopefully, he didn't overdo it this time."

"What's with that big-ass tower?" Bakugou's question brought her focus back to the task ahead. The gigantic steel tower in front of them pierced the sky and rivaled Tokyo Tower in its size.

"This is U.A.'s very own evacuation-training tower or 'E.T.T.' for short", All Might explained. "At the top of the tower is a viewing platform, where you'll find a sandbag—I mean and injured and unconscious child—and your job is to bring it down safely. If the sandbag is damaged, you lose. However, the tower could collapse any second so don't waste your time."

"Climbing up all the stairs will already take at least 20 minutes", Uraraka argued. "How are we supposed to do this?" How had Deku been able to manage this mammoth task? Twenty-four minutes, including the time they needed to come up with a plan, was nothing.

"This is for you to find out", All Might smiled before he gave the signal.

Facing the challenge, the tower appeared even more massive.

"This is just like the fucking forest hell", Bakugou grinned. "In that case, there is only one goddamn thing to do: The same as we did back then!"

Uraraka didn't understand. How was it the same? Did Bakugou expect her to do nothing and depend on him like before?

For some reason, the short-tempered teen walked back a few steps and started to stretch. Did the ash-blonde teen not even want to tell her his plan? Trying to understand him, Uraraka remembered his words: "I didn't think of you as useless even once."

In the same second in which Bakugou started to sprint towards her, the brunette suddenly understood. Back in the forest, they hadn't been successful because of dependency, but because of teamwork. Uraraka had done her part, closing the cave and protecting the flag during battle. Maybe it hadn't been much, but because of her work, Bakugou had been able to rest safely and fight recklessly.

Everything was clear now. They were a team.

When the other passed her, she slapped his stretched-out hand, activating her quirk and erasing his gravity. Bakugou jumped and with the help of his explosive power soared higher and higher within milliseconds.

They could do it.

From the monitors of the waiting room, everyone watched as Bakugou rose higher still. "This is insane", Kirishima commented. "If he can't control this properly, how is he going to reach the sandbag—I mean the kid?"

"No", Midoriya interrupted him with a serious voice. "The question is, how is he gonna land after reaching the sandbag?"

Nobody had a reply for this, all they could do was stare at Bakugou's half-crazed grin as he reached the top of the tower and grabbed the sandbag.

In the brief moment in which he passed the viewing platform, still soaring higher, Bakugou got hold of the steel reeling. The force pushing him upwards was pitted against the muscles of his left arm. Ignoring the icy wind, the reckless teen stretched out his right hand to grab the worn-out sandbag. Briefly, Bakugou noted the smiley face All Might had drawn on it with a black permanent marker. "Uraraka!", he shouted as soon as he was ready. From 300 metres above ground, the girl was nothing more than a dot.

The gravity girl had been watching him from the ground. Bakugou, now out of her sight, really was insane. And so was she, given that they were in this together. Uraraka was nervous, by now the plan of her partner was clear to her and she couldn't believe the amount of trust he had placed in her. "Release", the brunette shouted.

Bakugou, having regained his full weight, fell down like a stone. However, instead of just leaving it to gravity itself, the short-tempered teen used his explosions to accelerate his fall. Like a torpedo shooting towards his target, Bakugou was now shooting towards the ground. The wind blazing against him, blowing the smoke of his explosions upwards, he was a meteorite striking Earth.

"All Might, you have to stop this", Kirishima demanded. "How is he going to land?"

Again, it was Midoriya interrupting him. "This is Ka-chan, he must have some kind of plan."

Bakugou's grin now resembling insanity did not support Midoriya's statement. "Uraraka!", The gravity girl heard him shout as he was approaching the ground faster than anything she had ever seen.

"I'm ready", she heard herself shout as Bakugou flew towards her. She had climbed up towards the second floor of the tower, leaning outside as far as she could. It was crazy, idiotic and irrational, but in the millisecond Bakugou rushed past her, she managed to touch him.

Again being liberated by his gravitational weight, Bakugou changed the direction of his explosions from acceleration to braking his fall. He landed on his feet and Uraraka released her quirk. "Mission completed", he exclaimed victorious revealing the sandbag he had protected between his arm and his chest. Much to everyone's surprise, it was completely fine.

However, nobody said anything. Their time was below one minute completely breaking all records that had ever existed. What was even more surprising was the amount of teamwork Bakugou had displayed.

"Bakugou and Uraraka are scary when they work together", Mineta whispered and everyone agreed.

"You two worked together and negated all your weaknesses", All Might commented as the two had rejoined their classmates. "However, this worked because you had a sandbag—please don't do this to real children, Bakugou."

The addressed boy grunted. "The brat was unconscious from the start, how the fucking hell would he even notice? You said not to waste time, didn't you?"

"Eh, I did", All Might admitted. "I guess it's fine given that the sandbag is undamaged."

After everyone had left, Midoriya stayed behind at the training ground.

"Those two together are unstoppable." All Might was visibly impressed by Bakugou's and Uraraka's show. "Young Bakugou and Uraraka must be happy."

"No", Midoriya disagreed. "I think they're suffering, both of them."

* * *

Imagine Bakugou doing that with a real child...


	6. Chapter 6

Trollie queenii - Thank you for reviewing every chapter! It was a huge motivation for me to get this chapter done, especially as Deku's and Uraraka's conversation was dreadful to write.

* * *

Game over.

"Fucking son of a bitch", Bakugou cursed at the TV screen cheerfully announcing their loss. He didn't care that it was 2 am at night or that they were the last people in the common room, the short-tempered boy would not accept defeat. "Uraraka, let's fucking murder them!"

But the girl next to him didn't reply. In fact, the controller for the Slaystation 4 had fallen out of her hands and the girl was mumbling in her sleep. As his gaze fell upon the sleeping gravity bender, Bakugou immediately forgot about the video game. It had been two days since he had received that text message, two days since reality had turned into a game just like the one on screen.

However, unlike the virtual world, reality knew no winners, everyone was a loser. There were no villains laughing and no hero dying angle style, but also no game-over screen ending their torture. Bakugou had never thought he could lose, having successfully monopolised Uraraka's smile, until he had realised that his was a fake victory.

It was a smile that he could never truly possess, a smile that ran through his hands like water, leaving him unable to catch it. It was a mere imitation of her happy-go-lucky attitude, slowly poisoning him as he was trying to get a hold of it. And Bakugou knew it was his fault, blended by her presence, the ash-blonde teen had gladly let himself being sucked into this vortex. Uraraka complemented him; with her, the past two days had been a blast.

But this game of make-believe had to end.

"How fucking long do you plan to keep this up?", Bakugou asked knowing that Uraraka had woken up.

At first, the girl looked at him with confusion until she was fully awake. "I'm not acting!", she denied his accusation, her voice louder than necessary. "I like being with you! I have fun being with you!"

"Quit treating me like a fucking Deku-replacement", Bakugou grunted as he turned to leave. "You know, I'm no bloody toy." He couldn't believe how low he had sunken, much less that a classmate was more dangerous for him than any villain ever could.

Uraraka stared at the TV shouting "game over" at her. She knew the short-tempered teen was right. Despite his rough attitude, Bakugou had feelings for her and the gravity girl had made use of that fact. Bakugou was strong and his strength had become her shelter from reality. Unable to face Deku, it had been easy for her to hide behind the endless power he radiated.

Yet in this twisted game, Bakugou's strength had become his greatest weakness. His feelings were hidden beneath an armor nobody had ever pierced, but Uraraka knew they existed-just like the corner of her heart that had concealed her affection towards Deku.

As a fellow master of disguise, Uraraka understood. He was crying internally. Bakugou was tough as a rock but constant grinding would eventually break even him. However, the explosive teen was not the only one; another person was also enduring her selfishness.

Having lost track of time, Uraraka ran up the stairs to Deku's room. The brunette had no idea how to face Bakugou, but Deku, at the very least, would not have to suffer any longer. Surely it wasn't too late to make up for them.

The corridor of the second floor was wrapped in darkness. The light turned on automatically as Uraraka left the staircase. Now more careful, she knocked on her friend's door calling out his name. "He's probably asleep, I should have waited until tomorrow", the gravity girl thought, regretting her rash action.

It took a while until the door opened. "Uraraka?", Midoriya asked surprised with sleep still in his eyes. "Is- Are you alright?" He was immediately alerted. "Did something happen? Are the villains attacking us?"

"Deku." Tears were in her eyes now—despite the recent events the first thing he did was worry about her. Without giving the boy a chance to comprehend, Uraraka stormed into his room and closed the door. She was now crying, hugging Deku as tightly as she could. "I'm so sorry..."

Midoriya's face was bright red. He didn't know how to react. "You're too close, Uraraka."

The brunette didn't care. Neither did she notice that Deku was in his pajamas or that his room was still dark. "Please can you forgive me?", she asked still in tears.

"Ah, of course." Midoriya had no idea what Uraraka was talking about, but seeing her in this miserable state, he would agree to anything that would make her feel better.

"I made you suffer so much", the gravity girl explained, now calmer. Realising how close she was, Uraraka backed off immediately. "I don't want to lose you, but I didn't know what to do, what I should say to you."

"And Bakugou, he was just there." Now that Uraraka had started she couldn't stop. "Next to him I feel safe, I feel protected and he's so incredibly strong, it made it easy to forget and pretend I was fine. But I ignored how he was feeling all the time..."

Deku just looked at her so Uraraka continued. "Back when you guys fought and he was in the infirmary I thought how cold hearted everyone was to assume that Bakuogu would be fine just because he's strong. And now... I made the same mistake, I just assumed he was fine. I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I?"

Overwhelmed by the torrent of words, Midoriya still didn't know how to react appropriately. A girl confiding in him? The black-haired boy had never thought this would ever happen. "I don't think you're a hypocrite, Uraraka", he said knowing that he was not helping.

"And now I'm using you, too." The brunette still wasn't finished. "I thought I could hide my feelings, pretend they didn't exist, but it's only making everything worse. You suffered so much and now I'm talking to you like I don't care."

"I know you care", Midoriya disagreed. Maybe he didn't fully understand what was happening, but the black-haired boy knew that Urararka was not heartless like she made it sound. "You care so much that it hurts you more than Ka-chan or me. After all, you're the one who is crying."

"Well, Bakugou wouldn't cry." She couldn't even imagine him shedding a tear. Even if he was hurt, even if it was killing him. "But what about you, Deku?"

"Sometimes I do", Midoriya admitted. "But right now I'm happy. I thought we wouldn't be able to be friends anymore. I'm glad we can talk again."

"You really think so?", Uraraka asked not believing him. Nobody could be that kind, not even Deku.

"I do still like you", the black-haired boy confirmed. "And, ehm, I have thought about this... To be honest, I- I don't want to give up on you! Even if... if you can't like me back, I will still like you."

Uraraka's eyes filled with tears again. "I don't deserve this", she cried. The brunette wanted to say that she liked him back, that it had all been a mistake, but her lips didn't move an inch.

That night, Uraraka made a decision.

 **xxx**

The next morning left the students of Class A surprised. Suddenly everything was back to normal, Uraraka happily chatted with Midoriya like the past two days never happened.

On the inside, however, the gravity girl was the one who was the most surprised. For some reason, she had expected to find Bakugou broken and weak—instead, the explosive teen seemed perfectly fine. Maybe the brunette had underestimated him or maybe there simply were no hidden feelings after all.

"Midoriya, Uraraka, since you both look so happy, come and carry those books to the teachers' office, will you?", Aizawa asked as class had finished.

"I wonder what happened", Ashido wondered as soon as the teacher and the two students had left the classroom. "Do you guys think they had an argument and made up?"

"Personally, I think this is about Bakugou", Aoyama answered. "Last night I-"

"Last night Uraraka came to Midoriya's room", Mineta reported excited, ignoring Aoyama. "She was crying!"

"What could have happened", Iida asked. He was visibly concerned about his friend. "Could it be that she was having trouble with her homework? How could I not notice? As the class president-"

"I think she and Bakugou did _that_." Mineta was proud to present his theory. "Did you notice that the two haven't talked at all today?"

"Oh my gosh, did they really?", Ashido asked.

Bakugou had only half-heartedly listened to the chattering of his classmates, but he couldn't ignore people badmouthing him. "You want to die, shitty ballhead?!" Bakugou himself knew that his threat was empty, he would never start a fight in the classroom as to not endanger his records. Furious, but unable to do anything, the teen promised himself to kill his classmate later.

"Maybe I should go to Uraraka's room tonight, I wonder if I can sleep between her breasts", Mineta wondered. "Not that I would actually sleep though."

Now he had done it; this could not wait any longer. "You fucking shithead won't live to see tomorrow!" Before anyone could react, Bakugou had gotten up from his seat and punched his classmate right into the face.

"What's gotten into you, man?" Kirishima had never expected Bakugou to start a fight in the classroom. Obviously, the ash-blonde teen got upset easily and his short temper was like a minefield, but part of him had always remained calm. "This isn't like you at all."

"I'm fucking calm now", Bakugou grunted. Mineta cried in the background.

However, his actions could not be without consequences. "House arrest", Aizawa ordered him as soon as he became aware of the situation. "Until you have written an apology letter to your classmate."

Unwillingly, but accepting his punishment, Bakugou grabbed his bag and left the school building. He didn't know why, but insulting that girl was something he couldn't forgive.

"Could it be that you have a thing for Uraraka?", Kirishima who was accompanying him asked. Putting two and two together, this was the obvious conclusion. "You really overdid it today... Well, Mineta also went too far..."

"Fuck off."

"Must be tough", the redhead thought thinking about the gravity girl. "She's all crazy about Midoriya... You know, I don't know that much about girls, but I'll help you out, man."

"Go back to class." Bakugou didn't want any help. The situation was fucking fine and he had chosen his fate himself. The ash-blonde teen didn't need Uraraka, he would become the strongest hero whether she was there or not. Whatever had happened between her and Deku, he didn't care about it, or at least pretended not to.


	7. Chapter 7

Uraraka found Bakugou in the common room venting his fury on a piece of paper and a pen he had already broken in half.

Naturally, the gravity had been told about what had happened in her absence and this knowledge had only strengthened her resolve. "Bakugou, I want to talk to you", she approached him. It was lunch break and the dorm was completely quiet—everyone was having lunch at the school canteen.

"What's shitty ballhead's name?", the addressed boy asked unimpressed, focused on the letter in front of him.

"Do you mean Mineta?" Uraraka noted that Bakugou hadn't even turned around—leaving her standing behind him. The situation was complicated enough already and the ash-blonde teen didn't make it any easier.

The gravity bender had promised herself she would stop hiding her feelings, that she would directly tell Bakugou how she felt."Why is changing myself so tough?", she thought hesitantly. For a moment Uraraka just watched the pen moving around the paper, leaving a black trail.

"I like you", Uraraka said suddenly. It was difficult and embarrassing and the words made the atmosphere more awkward than it already was. But she had done it, she had broken her old habits. Even if there were a hundred better ways to convey her feelings, even if she had made the awkwardness worse, Uraraka was optimistic that she had done the right thing.

Bakugou had heard her confession, only three words, equalling the number of words in his letter. Yet the explosive teen was unable to reply. What did "like" mean? He wanted to possess her, make her his, but at the same time, he was smart enough to know that he could never fully own her. "I'm not an object", her words echoed in his head. Then what was he supposed to do? This wasn't a battle where Bakugou could outsmart his enemy or win with brute force, it wasn't a situation which required strength, it required something else, something he was lacking.

"Bitch, go fucking back to class." His feelings didn't reach her; as friends, they understood each other, but now their connection was broken. There was a wall of glass between them, stopping Bakugou from replying properly. Remaining indifferent on the outside, Uraraka couldn't know how that on the inside, he was a mess.

The gravity girl let his words sink in. She had been brave, yet she had also been aware that there was a possibility of being rejected. After all, Uraraka had been the one to reject him first. Still, she was surprised how much his words impacted her, tears were forming in her eyes. "Yeah, I'll go." Without another word the girl left the room, not wanting Bakugou to see what he had done to her. If revealing her feelings hurt this much, maybe it had been the wrong decision.

"Bakugou, you idiot", Kirishima revealed himself as soon as the brunette was gone. He had come back from the school building to check on his friend, only to find himself eavesdropping on Uraraka's confession. "What did you do to her? Man, you like her—why didn't you tell her?"

"Go die", Bakugou replied. He was in a bad mood and the redhead questioning his behaviour only made it worse. "I'm going back to class, that crying idiot can eat his fucking letter now."

 **xxx**

"Uraraka has been absent since lunch", Midoriya noted as school was over. The classroom felt empty without her and he stared at the girl's vacant desk.

"It must be because of the trouble with her homework", Iida concluded. "U.A. is no easy school, if she is falling behind now, Uraraka might not pass this year."

"I doubt that's the reason...", Midoriya mumbled to himself. In his head the black-haired boy replayed the events from last night, hoping to find a clue. He thought Uraraka had felt better after their nightly conversation, but evidently, something was still troubling her, and to a degree that would even cause her to miss class.

Te class president had already made up his mind. "Let's go and help her study. If she's in trouble, it is our duty to help her."

Midoriya agreed with the part that visiting Uraraka might help so he tagged along until the two guys reached the fourth floor of the dorm. Iida, carrying a pile of books, was optimistic that the problem could be solved easily.

Yet entering the girl's corridor proved to be more of a challenge than they had thought. The last time they had done this was when they had all been showcasing the room and the situation and at that time everyone, including the girls, had been with them.

"We should take off our shoes", Iida suggested, helplessly looking at the empty corridor in front of them.

"But we're already wearing slippers", Midoriya replied.

"We must respect the girl's corridor."

Luckily, their pointless discussion was interrupted by Ashido. "What are you guys doing here?", she asked curiously. Both guys noted that her shoes were anything but clean, the soles still muddy. Midoriya silently looked at his friend.

"We were worried as Uraraka was absent all afternoon", Iida explained, ignoring the other boy. "We thought she might need help with her homework."

"I was also worried", Ashido admitted. Swiftly, she grabbed the two guys and dragged them to Uraraka's room. "Let's find out."

The gravity girl was surprised to find the group knocking on her door. Having realised that Bakugou and her could never be together, she wasn't ready to face her classmates again. Yet Uraraka found herself opening the door, no longer wanting to worry her friends.

"Uraraka, we were worried about you, I brought some books to help you study", Iida explained. "Which subject do you have the most trouble with?"

"We really came because we were worried", Midoriya added seeing Uraraka's confused expression. Being in a girl's room for the first time, he felt nervous. "Are- are you alright?"

When things had been a mess with Deku, Uraraka had relied on Bakugou's strength to cover her weakness; now she would not make the same mistake again. The helping hand reaching out to her, the gravity girl had to brush it off. "I just had a headache", she laughed. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Everyone was visibly relieved, but Uraraka knew that she had fallen back into her old habits. Being aspiring heroes, none of them had any time to waste on emotional tantrums, yet the girl also knew how hidden feelings could spiral out of control and cause suffering to those close to her. But why was changing so hard? "Actually, that's not it", Uraraka admitted. "I confessed to Bakugou and he rejected me."

Part of her expected her classmates to act the same way Bakugou had done, indifferent and ignoring her newly found openness. However, all Uraraka could see in their faces were surprise and sympathy.

"I had no idea!", Ashido was the most surprised out of them.

"I really thought he would like you back", Midoriya said. In his mind, he had already heard their wedding bells ringing—Uraraka, thought to be forever out of his reach, had now been catapulted back to his side. There was a tiny part of him that was happy about the development, but the feeling of guilt was overwhelmingly strong. After all, the black-haired boy had told Uraraka about Bakugou's likely affection towards her.

"Maybe he didn't understand what you meant?", Ashido asked. "Bakugou doesn't strike me as the most sensitive guy out there. Getting through to him without using your first might be impossible."

"I can't believe he treated you inappropriately", Iida commented after Uraraka had retold yesterday's events. "As the class president, it is my duty to go and talk to him."

"Talking to him won't solve anything", Midoriya objected. "But I also don't know what else we can do."

"Making him jealous!", Ashido suggested excitedly. "Midoriya, kiss her in front of Bakugou."

Uraraka had decided that she would never make Deku suffer again. "We can't do that."

"I agree", Iida said. "If we upset Bakugou too much, their lives might be in danger."

"How about going on a date with him?", Ashido offered. "I'm sure we can set something up and you two spending some time together might solve everything."

However, it was hard for all of them to imagine Bakugou on a date.

"I wonder what he would like to do? The amusement park?", Ashido continued. "I wonder if that guy has any hobbies?"

"Well, Ka-chan likes fighting and competing with others", Midoriya answered the pink girl's question.

"He is simple in that regard", Iida reflected.

"He's more than that!" Uraraka had only been close to him for two days yet she knew that there was more to Bakugou than just fighting. "His behaviour is vulgar, he's insensitive and gets violent easily, but there is so much more to him than just fighting." The girl didn't understand how the others couldn't see the layers of Bakugou's personality underneath his outward appearance. "He cares for those important to him and he always thinks things through. The reason he has top grades is because he actually reads a lot and the reason he is strong is because he trains more than anyone."

"As expected from our love-struck girl", Ashido smiled while putting one arm around Uraraka's shoulders. "But that doesn't help us, does it?"

"What if we ask All Might to repeat the training in the forest?", Midoriya suggested. "This was how it all started, wasn't it?"

"I'd rather not spend another night out in the wilderness, bitten by insects and scared about my life in the storm", Ashido rejected the idea. Nobody really wanted to repeat the events of that night ever again.

"How about recreating the experience in a safer environment?", Iida asked.

Ashido nodded. "That would totally work."

Uraraka had mostly just been listened to her classmates. Revealing the truth had been tough, but now everybody was working together to come up with a plan. She was happy that she had decided to trust her friends, although Bakugou's rejection still stung like a needle inside her heart

A sudden noise coming from the corridor stopped their discussion. "Hey, Bakugou, where are you going?", they heard Kirishima's voice. "That's not where our rooms are..."

"Quit whining", Bakugou's voice answered. "Which room is the bitch's one?"

Uraraka winced realising that he was looking for her.

"That guy has no respect for the girl's corridor", Iida whispered. "How could he enter so easily?"

"Dunno man", Kirishima replied. "When we moved in I saw everyone's room so I don't remember the exact location of hers."

"This one then."


	8. Chapter 8

I have edited the previous chapters, mainly to improve the flow but I also added some more details.

* * *

Uraraka slowly opened the door, just to find Bakugou right in front of her. Having a choice of one in four, the ash-blonde teen had managed to locate her room instantly.

"Where's black eyes?", he came to the point immediately.

The gravity girl hadn't expected his question. But of course, the world didn't revolve only around her. It had been conceited to think he was coming for her. "Mina?", she asked. "Eh, I think she has gone out." What could he want from her pink friend?

Just kidding, the real story starts here:

Bakugou knew he had made a mistake, he didn't need Kirishima constantly reminding him of how sorry he felt for Uraraka. In fact, he didn't need that redhead at all, that guy should mind his own business for goddamn sake.

Suddenly the door in front of Bakugou opened, just a small gap, but enough for him to see Uraraka. He wasn't surprised as he had faintly heard talking followed by her footsteps.

"Hello", she said, her voice neutral. The gravity bender had no idea what the other wanted, but she didn't expect anything good seeing his scowl. However, given that he had come to her room—something that had never happened before—it had to be important.

Bakugou knew she had visitors, one of them being Deku. The other voices had not been recognisable and he didn't care enough to find out. There was no significance to them, all the short-tempered boy wanted was her. Frustrated by his inability to respond to her confession, there was only one way to correct his mistake.

"Meet me on Saturday. We need to talk." Blushing, he looked away; his eyes were focused on the door separating the corridor from the staircase.

There was a reluctance in his voice as if somebody had forced him, leaving her puzzled.

"You came here just for that?", Kirishima asked Bakugou who left without another word.

"It's a date", Ashido exclaimed excitedly when the group was alone again. "Can't believe that guy asked you out! All our planning was worthless..."

"Is it really?", Uraraka asked. Less optimistic than her friend, the gravity girl couldn't believe that things would turn around so easily.

 **xxx**

As Saturday arrived, Uraraka couldn't help but feel nervous. Bakugou hadn't given her a time and since the girl didn't know whether this was a date as Ashido believed, she didn't want to dress up just to feel embarrassed later on. However, it wasn't until late afternoon that the ash-blonde teen sent her a text message ordering her to meet him. Uraraka didn't like his choice of words but relieved that finally something happened, she exited her room.

Bakugou waited outside. He wanted to set things straight and as usual, he wanted to do it better than anyone, demonstrating his superiority. This was no exception. However, when Uraraka arrived, all he greeted her coldly. "Let's go."

As he turned to go, the girl followed behind him, not knowing what would await her. The two took the bus, in silence until they had reached their destination.

"A fireworks festival?", Uraraka asked surpised, looking at the big banner over her head. Behind it, she could see stalls and people enjoying themselves. Most of the girls had dressed up and wore yukatas, making the girl feel out of place in her shorts and T-shirt. "You should have told me, Bakugou. I can't go there dressed like this."

"Of course you can." The boy grabbed her hand and dragged her inside the festival area. "See?", he asked, letting go of her hand with a red face.

"Mhm, I see", Uraraka confirmed looking at her hand. She couldn't believe Bakugou had actually brought her to a place like this.

Not far behind them, an unlikely pair hid in the shadows.

"Are you sure it is alright for us to follow them?", Midoriya asked watching his two classmates exploring the festival area.

"Of course it is", Ashido smiled. "I can't imagine Bakugou going on a date, I want to see this with my own eyes. Ah, I mean I'm worried about Uraraka", she corrected herself quickly. "But I never would have expected them to go to the fireworks festival."

"You say that", Midoriya commented not convinced. "Yet you're wearing a yukata."

"Let's get some takoyaki", Ashido suggested hastily, pointing on one of the stalls.

"If you really want to stalk them, you should keep your voice down." But Midoriya was too late, Uraraka had already heard the familiar voice of her pink friend.

"Mina?", she turned around, surprised to find her accompanied by Deku.

"Uraraka! Eh, we are... we are not... It's not what you think!", Midoriya tried to explain their situation, but then remembered that he couldn't reveal himself as a stalker. Not in front of Bakugou.

"You guys are dating?", she asked, relieved that Deku seemed to have recovered quickly after being turned down by her.

"We are", Ashido confirmed smiling after she had returned from the takoyaki stall. She put one of her hands onto Midoriya's shoulder, her fingernails digging into his clothes to prevent him from denying their excuse. "Don't mind us, ok?"

"That was weird", Uraraka commented after she had left Deku and Mina to enjoy their takoyaki. "Who thought they would be dating?"

Bakugou shrugged. "Those bastards are not fucking dating." However, he didn't care enough to tell them off. Whether they followed him or not, those extras were free to waste their time in whatever way they wanted.

For a while, the two were just wandering around the festival, taking in the relaxed atmosphere of laughter and smell of delicious foods.

"You wanna eat something?", Bakugou asked following her gaze to the food stalls.

Uraraka was surprised how considerate the other was. She shook her head. "Being here with you is good enough." Even though she had a feeling that he would pay for her, it was better to not waste any money.

By now, it had gotten darker and soon the fireworks would start. Correspondingly, the crowd was getting bigger and the noise louder. "That's why I hate these kind of places", Bakugou explained before he grabbed Uraraka's hand. "Let's get fucking out of here."

Her heartbeat accelerating, the girl followed Bakugou until they had left the festival area. Now, the two were alone, but still in a position to see the fireworks. Their views slightly obstructed by the festival stalls, it was a fair trade-off allowing them to watch the display in private.

Bakugou knew what he had to do. Kirishima had explained it a million times, and even without the redhead, he knew that he only had to repeat those same words Uraraka had said to him in the common room. "Only smile at me from now on, I'll kill every guy who tries to get your attention." Damn, those weren't the words he had meant to say. Why was this so difficult?

"What?", Uraraka asked. The fireworks at the sky, the darkness around them, this was the perfect place for a confession, yet the words of the short-tempered teen didn't fit in. "I'm not an object and I don't belong to you." She had realised that Bakugou had put in an effort to create a romantic atmosphere, something she had never expected from him. Yet the girl couldn't agree with his words.

"I know." His reply was a mere whisper. "But right now this is all I can say to you."

Recognising the desire to change himself in his eyes, Uraraka grabbed both of his hands. "I understand. I'll wait." She had learned first hand that overcoming weaknesses was hard and unlikely to happen overnight — in her case it had actually happened from one day to the other but that was only thanks to Bakugou opening her eyes. This time it would be her who helped him.

Hand in hand, the two watched the fireworks until the show was finished.

"You know", Uraraka began slowly. Both had sat down on the grass, enjoying each other's company and waiting for the crowd to go home. "I thought I had to hide my feelings because they would distract us from becoming heroes. I don't know how we can continue this..."

"Idiot", Bakugou replied slightly annoyed. "How weak do you think I am? A mere pebble like you won't stop me from becoming a hero. And what's with you? Is your fucking resolve that weak?"

Uraraka looked at the grass in front of them. How came that she had never considered this? Her feelings were important to her, but the gravity girl also knew that becoming a hero would always be her top priority —and Bakugou's too. "I was silly to think this way."

She stealthily glanced at the ash-blonde teen, expecting a violent outburst of him, but instead, she found Bakugou smiling—it wasn't his usual half-crazed grin, it was an actual and honest smile. It was a facial expression that surprisingly suited him, charismatic and unexpected.

* * *

This is the end! Thank you for reading and reviewing!


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